Dianthus caryophyllus 'Vienna Mix'

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The beloved Garden Pinks are still probably the most popular and well known of the hybrid Dianthus. Their long lasting, scented blooms make them a favourite of florists and, in many parts of the world, they are even more popular than any other type of cut flower, including roses.

Dianthus caryophyllus ‘Vienna Mix’ is a versatile variety that blooms with ruffled, sweetly fragrant blooms in a wide spectrum of delicious colours. This early flowering variety produces bushy plants with good strong stems. They grow 35 to 45cm (14 to 20in) tall and are ideal for garden borders or for use as a cut flower. The mixture includes blooms in crimson, pale pink, pink, rose, salmon and violet. The large fringed fully double flowers have an excellent fragrance.
Once established, the plants will provide a continuous harvest of blooms for cutting from July right through to October. The linear, blue-green, glaucous foliage is a good foil for most plants and a fine background for interplanted tulips. All in all, they make an extremely charming border plant.

Hardy, tough and very easy to grow, Dianthus can be grown in any garden with a sunny aspect and a rich, well drained soil. Water them during dry periods, once or twice per week. Add a general purpose fertiliser once or twice a month, but no more than that or you will get too much foliage. They have few problems with insects and disease. Deadhead spent flowers to prolong bloom time.
The petals of Dianthus are edible. Not terribly filling but they will prove to be the most magical of ingredients, turning a green salad into a flowery mead and a scoop of ice-cream into a fairy castle.

Sowing: Sow February to June or September to October.
Sow seed on the surface of a good, free-draining, damp seed or multipurpose compost. Do not cover the seeds as light aids germination, but tightly press into the compost.
Place the container in a propagator or seal inside a polythene bag and place at 16 to 20°C (60 to 68°F). Germination usually takes 14 to 30 days. Keep in cooler conditions after germination occurs. Transplant to 9cm (3in) pots to grow on and transplant outdoors once the plant is established. Overwinter September sowings in a coldframe and plant out the following spring.

Cultivation:
Most dianthus species and cultivars require full sun for best flowering. A position that gives sun for at least six hours a day provides the best growth.
They do best in neutral to alkaline soil that drains well. They will still grow well in acidic soil so long as the soil is well drained and the plant does not sit in water. Dianthus do not tolerate wet soil well, particularly in winter so don't plant them in a low spot where water collects and keep mulch away from the centre of the plants. Overwatering and heavy clay soils are the kiss of death, quickly killing the plants from stem rot. Mix in plenty of well-rotted organic matter when planting and apply a balanced liquid fertiliser once a month throughout spring and summer.
The plants will tolerate dry conditions well but will only produce continuous flowers if you are able to water regularly, preferably at the base of the plant to avoid damaging the blooms. Cut off the stem at the base of the plant in order to keep the plant tidy and to encourage repeat flowering.

Production for Cut Flowers:
Carnations continue to be one of the most well-known flowers for cutting.
Ideally plant a row in the garden where they will have maximum light and air movement.
Harvest the flowers when they are almost fully open - not in bud. Picking when the buds are too tight may result in the perfume not developing fully. Snap the stem at a node (joint) close to the base of the plant. If the stems are tough it is preferable to cut the flowers with scissors or a knife to avoid damaging the plant and thereby reducing the risk of disease entering wounds caused by careless picking.
Ensure the plants are regularly fed throughout the flowering season using a rose or tomato 1:1:2 fertiliser. Watering is preferable at ground level rather than overhead which may damage the blooms. Some varieties may take a six-week rest after the first flush of flower but after feeding and watering they will start again. This way you should be able to have a continuous harvest of blooms for cutting from the end of April until the end of September.

Edible Flowers:
The petals of Dianthus are edible. Not terribly filling but they will prove to be the most magical of ingredients, turning a green salad into a flowery mead and a scoop of ice-cream into a fairy castle.
Dianthus flowers have a pleasant spicy, floral, clove-like taste, especially the more fragrant varieties, and are ideal for decorating or adding to cakes. They make a colourful garnish to soups, salads and the punch bowl. The petals add zest to ice cream, sorbets, salads, fruit salad, dessert sauces, seafood and stir-fries, and can also be used as a flavouring for sugar, oils and vinegars.
Pick young flowers and buds on dry mornings, before the sun becomes too strong, so the colour and flavours will be intense. As on many flowers, it is advisable to remove the white heel at the base of the petal as this has a bitter taste.

Origin:
Dianthus caryophyllus, carnation or clove pink, is a species of Dianthus. It is probably native to the Mediterranean region but its exact range is unknown due to extensive cultivation for the last 2,000 years.

Nomenclature:
Dianthus was named by Greek botanist, Theophrastus. He named them from the Greek dios meaning ‘divine’ and anthos ‘flower’, meaning ‘God’s flower’.
The species name caryophyllus, from the Greek caryon meaning nut and phyllon, meaning leaf, was undoubtedly taken from the name of the clove tree, Caryophyllus aromaticus, and applied to the species because of the clove-like fragrance of its blooms.
Many Dianthus are called 'pinks.' Not due to their colour which can also be white, but to the distinct cut edge that the flowers have. The verb 'pink' dates from the 14th century and means 'to decorate with a perforated or punched pattern' (maybe from German 'picken' = to peck), coming from the frilled edge of the flowers. This verb sense is also used in the name of pinking shears.
Interestingly, the colour pink may be named after the dianthus flower.
Although originally applied to the species Dianthus caryophyllus, the name Carnation is also often applied to some of the other species of Dianthus, and more particularly to garden hybrids between D. caryophyllus and other species in the genus. The word ‘carnation’ is thought to derive from the Latin word coronae, meaning 'coronations'. Coronations were decorative, woven flower strings worn on the head like a headband that are often pictured as being worn by young maidens.
Shakespeare wrote about it in 'A Winters Tale'. Perdita says The fairest flower o' the season are our carnations'. This was in the year 1601, and from that date the name carnation appears to have been attached to the plant.
This cultivar is usually called 'Vienna Mixed' but can also be found as 'Vienna Mischung', which translates from German as 'mixed'.

Dianthus varieties:
The genus Dianthus consists of over 300 species, including the well-known Carnations and Sweet Williams, several hundred named cultivars and innumerable hybrids.

D. barbatus, known as Sweet William, this is a biennial plant that sometimes behaves as a short lived perennial. At 45 to 60cm (18 to 24in) tall, it blooms in a wide range of fragrant coloured blossoms and as such has been a garden favorite for over 300 years.

D. caryophyllus, the ancestor of most of the modern garden carnations. When you see a perennial carnation in your local garden centre, it is most often from this species.

D. chinensis are the China Pinks. Varieties are often sold in garden centers as perennials although many are not reliably hardy in cold areas. They can be treated as hardy annuals unless you live in a warm zone.

D. deltoides is a common plant in garden centers because of the ease of starting it from seed. Use it at the front of the border or in gravel or rock gardens.

D. knappii is called the Yellow Pink. At 60cm (24in) tall with soft yellow flowers that bloom for several long weeks, it is worth a place in any garden.

D. plumarius is the plant most often referred to as a 'Pink' and is a good performing plant. They are shorter than many types of Dianthus so plant them in rock garden sites or protected from aggressive plants in the border.